Tied
by Anticlownperson
Summary: OneShot. Locking three Gryffindors and three Slytherins in the Room of Requirement leads to some interesting developments, especially when you add some Firewhiskey... Rated T just in case.


**Tied **

Hermione loved the Room of Requirement. Really, she did. Who wouldn't love a room that catered to your wishes? However, she really didn't like being locked in with Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini. Sure, Harry and Ron were there, too, but that didn't make things much better. Even the comfortable couches and the table of drinks and snacks nearby couldn't lighten the mood.

This time, Draco was sure Snape had lost his mind. It seemed he and McGonagal (and quite possibly the rest of the professors) had decided that the six of them all needed to be locked in a room together for a while until they could settle their differences. They had waited until the weekend so that they wouldn't miss any of their classes, but all that said to Draco was that they'd had this planned out for a very, very long time. So far, it wasn't going too well, and they'd only been locked up for twenty minutes. He lay down on one of the couches and stared at the ceiling. Thoughts like _This is the stupidest idea ever_ and _I wonder how long they're willing to take to see if it's worked?_ kept drifting through his mind. He was startled out of his thoughts by a surprised shout from Blaise.

"Hey, what the hell is this?" Blaise stood in the middle of the room holding a piece of paper. "This thing just fell out of nowhere and landed on me," he said, holding the paper away from his as though it were a bomb. "It says we need to get to know each other so that we can "set aside our differences for the betterment of us all". And there's a bunch of lame questions that we're all supposed to answer." He grimaced. Pansy however looked almost relieved. "Why don't we just do what they want?" she said, looking around at everyone. "If it helps, well, then it'll keep us all from killing each other out of boredom, and if it doesn't, at least no one can say we didn't try." Hermione nodded, saying, "As much as it pains me to say, I have to agree with Parkinson on this one. It might be a good idea." Pansy beamed. "Then let's get started."

There were three couches in the room, but they could only hold two people. Harry and Ron took one, as did Blaise and Draco. That left Hermione and Pansy to sit together, and the did so with a resigned shrug; Hermione curled up in one corner, while Pansy sat on the arm of the couch on the other side, as far away as she could. Blaise looked at the list again and sighed. "Might as well start at the top," he said. "Okay. 'What's your favorite color and why?'" He shook his head and muttered, "Mental...Okay, I'll go first. Mine's blue. I don't really know why, it's just sort of calming." He looked at Harry, who was next to him. "Your turn, Potter." Harry shrugged. "I like red. I guess it's sort of a proud color. And undeniably Gryffindor, too." Draco rolled his eyes and Blaise sniggered. Ron sighed, "Guess I'm next then. I don't actually have a favorite color. Maybe orange, but that's more because it's the Chudly Cannons color." He shrugged.

Pansy was next. "I actually really like purple. It's sort of regal, you know?" She looked down. "It's kind of childish, too, though." She said quietly. She shook her head and looked at Hermione. "How about you, Granger? Another fan of scarlet?" Hermione smiled slightly. "Actually, I like silver and green," she said quietly. The other five gawked at her. Blaise shook his head. "You're kidding." Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm serious. Green reminds me of trees and grass and plants. It's sort of calming. And silver is just...I don't know, it's sort of mysterious, if you know what I mean." She shook her head. Blaise looked at her oddly for a moment, then said, "But doesn't green also stand for envy?" Hermione smiled again slightly. "It does. And doesn't blue represent sadness?" Blaise frowned. "Yeah, I guess." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked over at Draco. "Your turn." Draco looked around at the others for a second before he answered. "I like black." He said simply. "It hides everything, but has nothing to hide."

Blaise looked at the list again. "Next question. 'What's something you find positive about the personalities of those not in your House?' Oh good Lord...Well, okay then. Let's see, Weasley's always got some joke to crack, Potter won't ever have to worry about not having friends, and Granger has to be the only person I know who isn't intimidated by Snape, which is impressive. Even I'm scared of him sometimes." He chuckled.

Harry sighed. "Okay. Parkinson, I hate to say it, is one of the most annoyingly determined people I've ever known. Can't get her to back down for anything. Zabini, you don't even have to work to be admired. And Malfoy. Awesome flier, I have to admit." Draco looked surprised.

"It takes a lot to get Malfoy really mad, so that's something to be noted," Ron said. "Zabini is smarter than he lets on, and Parkinson, however annoying, is always loyal to Slytherin."

Pansy grimaced. "Oh this is annoying," she said. "But, I have to compliment Granger on being probably the only girl in the school who isn't obsessed with boys and being all pretty. It almost shames me." She half smiled at Hermione. "Potter's got everything, fame, fortune, talent, need I say more? And Weasley, well, he always seems content, even if he doesn't have money."

Hermione bit her lip for a moment. "Parkinson, an airhead sometimes, but you actually have some brains in there. Zabini, you don't feel the need to be the center of attention all the time. Malfoy. Obviously highly intelligent, but you manage to keep it out of plain sight, just like you hide everything else." Draco frowned. He didn't know anyone who thought he had something to hide. They just thought he didn't like to pour himself out to other people.

"As much as I may hate Weasley," he said, smiling slightly. "You can't deny that he makes u for his lack of money with what he gives to his House." He nodded in mock salute to Ron, who was looking at him as though concerned about his sanity. "Potter, I have to hand it to you, you might be the only self-righteous, conceited prick who actually has a good reason for being that way. I can't imagine being in constant peril is exactly easy. And I've always found it interesting that Hogwarts' resident bookworm can appear to be more complicated than those books you're always hauling around, Granger." He looked at her strangely for a minute before looking back at Blaise. "What's next?" he asked. The boy glanced at the paper, then looked at it again, horror written all over his face. "Whichever sick professor thought of this one is going to pay for it. This has to be Slughorn, no one else is that crazy. 'If you had to go on a date with anyone from the other House, who would it be and why?'" The other five all looked at him is disbelief. Harry grabbed the paper out of Blaise's hand. "It really does say that. They're mental." He said, shaking his head.

Blaise put his face in his hand, laughing slightly. "They're not serious," he muttered. Then he sat straight again. "Before this goes any further, we all have to swear that no one will attack anyone else." Everyone nodded. "Okay, I guess I'd pick the Weasley girl. She doesn't appear as shallow as most girls, and she's kind of pretty, too." He cast a nervous glance at Ron, who looked like he was going to pummel him for a moment. Then he managed to get himself under control, muttering, "I hope than never happens." Harry shrugged. "I don't exactly know any of the Slytherin girls, so I don't know. Not Parkinson though, she's just slightly scary sometimes." Blaise nodded. "You have no idea, you've never seen her really angry." Pansy stuck her tongue out at him.

Ron looked down at the ground and muttered, "Greengrass is kind of pretty, and she's not as irritating as the rest." Pansy grinned. "Actually, I've heard her say it's a shame some of the Gryffindor boys weren't in Slytherin." She laughed. "My turn. Actually, it's sort of a toss-up between the Mad Irishman and Weasley here." The boys all stared at her while Hermione tried not to laugh. Pansy stuck her tongue out. "What? They're both funny. And that Brown girl has been prattling off about them both for about three years now, so I figure there must be a good reason." Ron still had a shocked expression on his face, but he was starting to laugh as well. "Me or Seamus? That has to be the strangest thing I've ever heard." He said.

Hermione bit her lip. She knew it was her turn, and she could really only think of one way to answer the question, but it was not an answer she wanted to give. "This really blows," she muttered. Pansy must have heard her; the girl grinned. Hermione sighed. "Fine. I guess I'd have to pick Malfoy." Silence. Everyone was staring at her. Finally Blaise muttered, "Will you say something, anything, that doesn't completely go against my impression of you? It's rather unsettling." Draco, however, laughed slightly. "Well, Granger," he said, looking at her, "It would appear we're on the same page. I'd have to say you're the best choice." Blaise looked back and forth from Draco to Hermione, then turned to Harry and Ron and Pansy. "I'm not hearing things, am I? They just said they'd pick each other?" Harry nodded mutely, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Ron shook his head. "I think they've both gone mad." He said. Pansy let out a sigh. "You both hate each other, but you'd pick the other out of everyone else from that House? Why?" she asked, looking between the two. Draco looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Hate is a strong word, Pansy. I wouldn't say I hate any of these three." Harry and Ron joined Hermione in staring at him. Finally she spoke. "What do you mean, you don't hate us?" her voice was quiet, but Draco could hear a hint of cold steel in it. Only Pansy seemed to have noticed it as well. She too was looking at Draco with a confused expression. Blaise shook his head and muttered, "Answer her. I want to hear this as well."

Draco sighed. "Look, I'm not saying I don't dislike you, I just can't exactly say I hate you. That would imply that I didn't give a shit about any of you." He glanced at Harry. "Unfortunately, I have to be concerned about what ultimately happens to Potter. There are two sides here, Potter's and Voldemort's. If Potter wins, then my family is in disgrace. If Voldemort wins, then my father wins as well." Hermione was looking at him still, a hard sort of expression in her eyes. "That only explains one of us, Malfoy." He bit his lip, then spoke again. "I'm really going to hate myself for having to say it, but I'm almost jealous of Weasley." Ron was looking at him like he was insane. Draco continued. "He's got no money, but he has a real family, and more friends than anyone in Slytherin can truly say they have. I might have the money, but, well, you all know my father. And it's not so great being his only child, either."

Hermione looked down. "What about me?' she said quietly. Draco looked uncomfortable; he took a breath and looked at Hermione. "I know I've been horrible to you for years. I never actually thought about it until last year, after-" He stopped, bit his lip, and then continued again. "When I was running, it hit me that all of you were fighting against the same people I was running away from. It was like we were on the same side. Also, it's like I said before, you're more complicated than people think." Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Pansy broke in quietly, saying, "I think you two need to talk about this, so we're going to keep going, you can join us once you've finished." The other two just nodded without looking at her and she moved off to where the other boys had gone to sit against the walls at the other end of the room.

Draco sighed again and continued talking. "You remind me of myself a bit, actually, Granger." He said. "You said I hide everything. I think you can see that because you're hiding, too. You know what to look for. Most people only see the mask and don't bother looking at what's under it. Blaise and Pansy know me better, but no one else does. I think that's sort of the same for you. I think you hide sometimes, trying to deny that you really are hiding. Although I bet Potter and Weasley never guess it."

Hermione curled into a smaller ball, drawing up her legs onto the couch and resting her chin of her knees. She was silent for a few minutes, contemplating what Draco had said. He let her sit in silence, thinking about it himself. "Maybe," she admitted finally. "But I've never understood why you're always hiding. You never show emotion on your face, just that smirk. You never give anything away." Draco shrugged. "I guess I've always thought that no one would understand me. Everyone but Pansy and Blaise are just simpering idiots, really." They were interrupted by a shout from Blaise.

"Wicked, I just found a whole stash of Firewhiskey!" he held up a bottle as proof and grinned. "Who wants to have some fun?" he asked, smirking. Hermione looked warily at Blaise. "Just what do you have in mind?" she asked. Blaise shrugged. "I just think things might be more interesting with some alcohol." Pansy grinned in answer. Harry and Ron turned to each other and shrugged. "Why not?" Harry said, an amused look of his face. Draco grinned slightly, an odd look in his eyes. Everyone looked at Hermione. "Sounds like fun," she said, a faintly mischievous smile on her lips. "Go ahead, Zabini." While Blaise looked for glasses, Draco looked at Hermione and said quietly, "I never thought you'd be one to play with alcohol." She just smiled and raised one eyebrow in response.

Blaise passed out glasses full of whiskey to each of them and then motioned back to the couches. "Shall we continue with these _fascinating_ questions?" he asked sipping at his whiskey. There were nods all around, so he snatched up the paper again. "Oh good, they get easier," he said. "Alright, let's see, 'What's something you've done that you've never told anyone about?'" He cast a glance around before saying, "I went to a Muggle rock concert once." Hermione sat up quickly. "Which one?" she asked, her brow furrowed. Blaise looked a little surprised. "Uh, Metallica." Hermione grinned. "I knew it, I knew I saw you there." She sat back again still grinning and took a sip of her whiskey. Harry looked at Hermione incredulously. "You've been to a Metallica concert?" he asked. "Does that count as something you've never told anyone, because you certainly didn't tell us." "Actually," Hermione said, "I told Ginny, so that doesn't count."

Pansy sighed. "Well, while we're on the subject of Muggles, I dated one once. A guy named Chris, over the summer two years ago." She swirled the whiskey in her glass, looking down at the ground. Ron looked as though he were trying not to laugh. Harry let out a tiny chuckle.

"Okay, it's my turn," he said. "I turned my teacher's hair blue by accident when I was in primary school, before I knew I was a wizard." Draco covered his mouth suddenly, trying not to laugh. Harry looked at him in surprise and said, "What?" Draco shook his head. "I just find it funny that the great Harry Potter could have caused so much havoc even before coming to this school." He laughed quietly, more to himself than the others. Harry looked dumbfounded for a moment, then he cracked a grin at Draco. Ron sighed. "That's me up then," he said mournfully. Then he grinned. "I spiked Fred's birthday cake on his tenth birthday." Blaise laughed, nearly spitting out the mouthful of Firewhiskey he had just taken. "What'd you spike it with?" he asked curiously. Ron just grinned and held up his glass. Blaise laughed again. Pansy nudged Hermione. "Your turn. What's Hermione Granger, straight-laced Gryffindor wonder, done that she's never told anyone about?" Hermione shook her head and smiled. "Oh nothing really," she said airily. "I've gone clubbing a few times, gone on dates with a couple guys over the summer, people I meet at clubs. Nothing special really." Harry and Ron were looking at her with identical odd expressions on their faces, halfway between disbelief and amusement. Pansy looked both slightly shocked and, inexplicably, almost proud. Blaise nodded and said, "I'm impressed, Granger." He held up his glass to her. She raised hers as well and took a swig of whiskey. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Draco was looking at her oddly, a small smile playing across his face. Blaise spotted it at the same time. "What's up?" he asked. "You've got that look, the one that says you're impressed but you think you shouldn't be surprised by something. I've seen that look before."

Draco grinned wider. "That's twice in less than ten minutes that you've surprised me, Granger. First whiskey, now clubbing." Blaise looked at Draco with an amused look on his face. "You're telling us that you assumed Granger here wouldn't ever drink and wouldn't ever go clubbing?" He raised an eyebrow at Draco. "I never said she wouldn't ever do it," Draco responded. "I just didn't think she would admit to it." Blaise rolled his eyes. Hermione took another swig of whiskey, then nodded at Draco. "So Malfoy, what've you done?" He smirked. "Oh nothing really," he said, mimicking her. "Only gotten drunk and nearly said a few things which would have certainly ruined my reputation forever."

Pansy looked at him shrewdly. "What things?" She asked innocently. Hermione also assumed an innocent expression, looking at him with curiosity. Blaise, Harry, and Ron all tried to look uninterested, but they weren't doing so well. Draco laughed. "You'll have to get more alcohol in me than this for me to tell you." He said grinning. Hermione suddenly stood and walked to the table where Blaise had left the Firewhiskey. She grabbed it and returned to the others. She walked around behind Draco and leaned over his shoulder, pressing the bottle against his chest. "That can be arranged," she said softly into his ear, grinning evilly. "If I hold out longer than you, then you have to tell us what you _almost_ said. If you hold out longer-" Draco cut her off. "If I do, you have to do something for me." He pulled Hermione closer and whispered into her ear. She grinned and nodded.

"You've got an agreement, Malfoy." Then she flopped back down on her couch. Pansy gave her a friendly slap on the shoulder. The other boys just gaped, staring back and forth between Draco and Hermione, who downed the rest of her glass and poured herself another. Harry and Ron were in shock. Since when did Hermione act like that? Blaise leaned over toward Harry and Ron and muttered, "I think Draco might actually be in trouble here. I sincerely doubt Granger would make a bet like that unless she could hold her alcohol." They looked over at the two in question in time to see Draco and Hermione toast each other, both with wicked looks on their faces. Blaise shook his head, laughing. He could get to like this side of Granger, he really could. "I hate to say it Draco," he told the blonde boy. "But right now, my money's on Granger." Harry sat forward, looking around at the others. "Okay, this last-name thing is starting to get a little annoying. I mean, here we all are, sitting around like we do this all the time. We all know each other's names, let's use them."

Pansy nodded. Then she laughed. "You realize that the professors have already gotten what they wanted, right?" she said to the group. "Although I have to admit, it's not bad, what's happening here. I kind of like it." She grinned at them all, especially Hermione. She was really starting to like the Gryffindor girl. Hermione grinned back. "So do I." she said.

They continued the game the professors had given them. The questions went on and on, sometimes they were silly and random, other times they were more personal. Hermione and Draco were on their third refills when Blaise looked at the paper and said quietly. "'What's your greatest fear?'" He looked around at the others. They all had thoughtful expressions on their faces. Ron shuddered. "I think you probably already know mine. Spiders. I hate them more than anything." Blaise looked at him in surprise. "Me too," he said. "Well, maybe just the little tiny ones, really." Ron nodded fervently. "They're the creepiest." He agreed. Beside him, Harry sighed quietly. The others went quiet so he could speak. "Losing to Voldemort." He said simply. "Letting him win."

Pansy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess I've always been afraid of people pushing me away. Of not really having friends around me." She looked at the Gryffindors. "I actually envy you guys sometimes. Your whole House is like one big family." Draco opened his mouth like he was going to speak, then closed it again and looked away. Harry nudged him with his foot. "What about you, Draco. You looked like you wanted to say something." Draco turned toward them again, but he kept looking at he ground. He pulled his legs up and crossed him arms over them, as though trying to protect himself. "I don't want to die having never really lived my life," he said softly. "I mean, without doing all the spontaneous things, without living on the edge a bit sometimes. I want to have time to do whatever the hell I want to do." Hermione laughed, but it was an odd laugh; there was something comforting and reassuring about it, but there was also something slightly melancholy underneath. The other five looked at her curiously. "Draco's just said what I was going to," she said quietly. "I don't want to be known as a bookworm forever. I want to live my life how I want."

She drained the last drops of he whiskey and looked into the empty glass with an odd expression on her face. She looked around at the others; she could see their eyes shining from the alcohol, but not as much as Draco's. She guessed she must have looked much the same. So far, they were fairly even, and neither seemed to be much affected by the whiskey. The other four were a slightly different story; Blaise had taken to rolling his head from side to side, and Ron kept muttering to himself. Harry was zoned out, coming back to reality when someone spoke to him, but otherwise sitting staring off into space. Pansy seemed to be holding her own fairly well; it appeared that alcohol made her calm and slightly inclined to want to cuddle with whoever was nearest. She was currently leaning against Hermione's drawn-up legs, one arm around the other girl's knees, humming contentedly.

After a few more questions, the others decided they had had enough whiskey; they left the rest of the bottle to Draco and Hermione. The two agreed that whoever got the last drop in the bottle would win. Draco could feel the effects of the alcohol. Certainly the rest were a little more than slightly drunk, but Hermione seemed to be doing about as well as he was. Her eyes were shining, and Draco found that, in his slightly inebriated state, that the look wasn't unpleasing on her. A few minutes later, Blaise and Ron were asleep on their couches, and Pansy and Harry were very close to following suit; they certainly didn't have a clue what was going on, given as how Pansy had started muttering about wanting a pizza. Draco reached for the whiskey bottle and saw that there were only a few drops left. He grinned at Hermione and lifted the bottle.

He felt the liquid on his lips and tongue; he'd had enough that it didn't burn, but it seemed heavier. Just as the last drop fell onto his lips, Hermione suddenly was standing over him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm, and the bottle, away. Then, before he knew what she was doing, her tongue had flicked out and licked the drop of whiskey from his lips. She looked at him, grinning slightly. "I'll call it a tie," She said softly. Draco could only stare for a moment. Then he raised his hand and touched her cheek. He trailed his fingers down the cheek and placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her down towards him. He caught her lips in a gentle kiss.

Her lips parted slightly and she could taste the sweet burn of the whiskey on his lips. Slowly she sank down onto the couch beside him, never breaking the kiss. She heard a dull thud as Draco dropped the empty bottle and brought his hand up and trailed his fingers lightly across her wrist. Draco had no idea what was happening; he was enveloped by the taste of her. She ran the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip. His own tongue met hers, just a light touch that sent a tiny shiver down his spine. They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. "Now we're tied," Draco whispered quietly. Their faces were only inches apart, and she was leaning on him slightly. Hermione smiled. "Yes, I think that's fair." They sat in silence for a moment, before Draco asked, "Do you kiss every guy that way, Hermione?" She looked at him with slight surprise. Then she grinned. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. You'll never know, will you?" He brushed her lips with one finger. She kissed his finger softly. 'You said you'd tell me what it was that you almost said when you were drunk." She said, smirking at him. He laughed. "I did, didn't I?" He closed him eyes for a moment, then opened them. "Blaise was there, but I know he doesn't remember it. He was a bit more drunk than I was, but I know he would have remembered it if I'd actually said it." He looked at Hermione again. "A bunch of the guys were arguing about which girl was best out of the Slytherins. I nearly told them that the best girl wasn't in Slytherin. I nearly said that she wasn't one of the simpering, shallow girls; that she was intelligent and far more complicated and interesting than any of the girls they were talking about. I almost told them that I thought you were better than any of the Slytherin girls, Hermione." He smiled at her again and brought his hand back to her cheek, tracing tiny patterns on her skin with his fingers.

Hermione just sat there, staring at Draco. He thought she was better? Better than all the girls in his own House? She was almost empted to say it was the alcohol talking, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn't that drunk. She smiled for some reason. Then she leaned in and kissed him. For a moment, Draco was too surprised to react. Then he kissed her back. Something about it felt so good to him. She was gentle and caressing, but at the same time, Draco could sense something deeper in her kiss. Something that he doubted was there for other guys.

A few hours later, Blaise woke up with a dull headache. He had slipped off the couch onto the floor when he'd fallen asleep. He looked around and saw Ron and Pansy talking together and laughing slightly. They saw he was awake and Ron handed him a smallish bottle. "Hangover potion," He said. "Works great." Blaise took a swig of the potion, feeling his headache disappear. "Thanks Ron." He said, setting the bottle on a side table. "What were you guys talking about?" he asked. Pansy only laughed more and Ron just pointed. Blaise looked where the redhead was pointing and saw Draco and Hermione curled up together on the couch. Hermione's head rested on Draco's chest and Draco had one arm around her shoulders. He lay on his back with her at his side against he cushions at the back of the couch. The empty Firewhiskey bottle lay on the floor. Blaise smiled. "Looks like a tie." He said, grinning. "And the best kind, too." There was a faint moan and Harry sat up, clutching his head. Wordlessly, Blaise passed him the hangover potion. Harry took it with a grateful look. "Thanks Blaise." Then he saw Draco and Hermione. His face split into a wide grin. Then he started laughing and didn't stop for some moments.

The four sat talking, letting Draco and Hermione be. Finally, Blaise heard movement and walked over as Draco was waking up. "Hey sleepyhead." He grinned at the blonde boy. Draco looked down at Hermione and smiled, remembering her kisses. "How long have we been in here?" he asked Blaise. The other boy shrugged and looked at his watch. "About twelve hours total, and only about four of them awake. Although it seems you two might have been awake a little longer than the rest of us." A small chuckle came from Hermione. She had woken when she heard Blaise and Draco talking, but she didn't open he eyes. "It was only maybe half an hour longer, really." She said. Blaise raised one eyebrow. "And what exactly happened in that half hour?" he asked. Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Draco. "We tied." She said. She winked at Draco when Blaise shook his head. Slowly she sat up a bit more, propping herself up with one arm. Pansy called from the door, "When everyone's ready, the door's unlocked now." She shrugged. "I guess we've all managed to get along." She said with an impish smile.

The End


End file.
